The orignial hit, penned in the early 1970s, was written as a tribute to the late movie icon Marilyn Monroe.
The lyrics of the song are as follows:
Goodbye England's rose;
You called out to our country,
And it seems to me you lived your life
And your footsteps will always fall here,
Loveliness we've lost;
And even though we try,
Goodbye England's rose,
Copyright © 1997 Nando.net
Copyright © 1997 Agence France-Presse
may you ever grow in our hearts.
You were the grace that placed itself
where lives were torn apart.
and you whispered to those in pain.
Now you belong to heaven,
and the stars spell out your name.
like a candle in the wind:
never fading with the sunset
when the rain set in.
along England's greenest hills;
your candle's burned out long before
your legend ever will.
these empty days without your smile.
This torch we'll always carry
for our nation's golden child.
the truth brings us to tears;
all our words cannot express
the joy you brought us through the years.
from a country lost without your soul,
who'll miss the wings of your compassion
more than you'll ever know.